


Assistance Required

by X_WantedCriminal_X



Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alpha Frank Iero, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Boss/Employee Relationship, Bottom Gerard Way, Business, Family Issues, Famous and Controversial, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Omega Gerard Way, Rich Frank Iero, Slow Burn, Top Frank Iero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2019-10-19 01:23:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17592041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/X_WantedCriminal_X/pseuds/X_WantedCriminal_X
Summary: Frank Iero knew the struggles of being an Omega even though he wasn’t one himself.





	1. A Guy With An Opinion

Frank Iero knew the struggles of being an Omega even though he wasn’t one himself. Growing up with only his Omega mother, Frank knew everything up close and personal.

His father, a respected Alpha, had always told him that he wasn’t what he had hoped to have. He was too small, too “pretty faced” like his mother to be from the blood of the respected man.

Young Frank knew that his father was hurting his mother. Every single time he tried his best to fight against the man but the bigger Alpha had always easily picked him off of himself like a bug.

He vividly remembered the day that he left. Young Frank had had enough of the guy, snapped and straight up attacked him fearlessly for his mothers sake. It was the first and the last time he ever heard a compliment from his father.

“That’s what an Alpha looks like.” He had said looking at the raging little boy.

He left afterwards, never to be seen again.

He remembered how hard life got for his mother after he left. Not because she missed him, she didn’t, but because she couldn’t finance both of them all on her own.

She was working every shift possible, everyday possible. With the amount of salary that an average Omega got, they were barely getting by.

Young Frank, as soon as he could, started his own business to support them. It disgusted him, knowing that he earned more money than all of his mothers shifts combined in just one shift. However, it also relived him to know that his mother could finally rest.

He promised himself and his mother as a young boy that he would never treat, or let anybody he knows, treat Omegas the way his father had.

Even today as young Frank grew up to be a successful business man, he kept his word. He made sure that all the employees in his company got what they deserved regardless of their class and took pride in it.

It all started with his first ever interview with a major business magazine.

He had talked about his employees with pride and explained how he always made sure to treat them all accordingly to their work performances rather than classes.

“How does that work? Does it even make any difference?” The interviewer had asked, implying that the Omegas did not work as hard as Alphas anyways.

“You wouldn’t believe it.” Frank had said with confidence. “Dare I even say that Omegas work harder than Alphas.”

A week or so later he found his face on the cover of the magazine with his words quoted in big letters.

Things got out of hand from there pretty fast, he became the face and the voice of a raising movement and each and every day he had to emphasize that _no,_ he is not a politician, just a man with an opinion.

And with the rise of the name Iero came the rise of the man it belonged to before him too.

“I abandoned him for a reason.” He watched his father from his computer screen, more microphones than he can count showed into the man’s face. “I always knew he was the type of boy that would come up with stupid ideas like these.” He spat and backed away from the interviewers.

Things were turning very hectic very fast at the office due to his newly gained popularity. They were losing many old clients while on the other hand, gaining new clients at least twice more than before. He was landing so many interviews, had his face on the cover of nearly every media form ever. It finally came to the point where he put out a strict _only business related interviews, no political speech_ rule. As much as he was supporting the movement he unintentionally started, he was a dedicated man to his company and also not professionally trained or in any way interested in politics.

A short while later, his own fancy apartment resembled a war zone. He had been spending so much time at the office, doing so much side work that he had to keep skipping on his weekly cleaning routines.

Very unlikely of most Alphas, Frank found cleaning to be a very relaxing chore. It had to have been something left from his younger days of helping his mother with her extreme shifts at work. He liked doing laundry best. It felt completely therapeutic. No matter how late he came home he always did the laundry, the familiar, absent minded process of folding and washing clothes.

His secretary, who also happened to be one of his best friends, found him nearly falling asleep at his desk at one point.

“You really need some extra help at home Frank. This is really getting out of hand, especially for you.” Patrick pointed out, fixing his glasses.

Frank sighed, knowing the Omega was right but also not wanting to admit that he may or may not need some help.

“I’ll think about it.” He said and shrugged it off completely.

Fast forward a few weeks and Frank couldn’t even properly get into the apartment anymore. He was an ever bigger mess than he was before and actually took a whole day off to clean up and still couldn’t get the place as pristine as he would like it. It’s not easy to be a very busy neat freak with a huge apartment.

Patrick sighed at the sight of Frank after his day off and knew immediately that the man had no day off at all.

“Look Frank, I have a friend that is looking for a job-“

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? He can work here.” He mumbled tiredly as he stared at the documents in hand, clearly too tired to actually process what they are talking about.

“No Frank, he isn’t exactly qualified to be in this kind of job, he is-“

“God, look around you Pat, I’m sure he can find something to do here.” He replied without listening again.

“I think I already know what he can do for you Frank.”

“No.” Frank replied fast and stern. Patrick rolled his eyes at the Alpha. “No!” Frank emphasized once more. “I’m a grown up man and I can do my own cleaning! I don’t need a damn maid for that.”

“Listen Frank, just take one more day off, interview the guy and actually take some time for yourself.” Frank looked like he was actually debating it for a moment. “You need it.” Patrick added. This time Frank knew he couldn’t deny it.

Frank sighed in defeat, letting the papers slip from his hands and onto the desk.

“He is your friend, right?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“And he needs a job?”

“Temporarily.”

“Perfect, because this thing isn’t gonna happen permanently. You can tell him he’s in.”

“You’re not gonna interview him?”

Frank just shook his head. He knew he would just change his mind if he did. He told himself that he was doing it purely because the guy needed a job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this so far. I have a few tricks up my sleeve regarding this fic and its been sitting in my computer for way too long because I didn't know if I would finish it or not. I just kinda kept feeling like it got too cheesy and/or felt like i wasn't doing it justice so I kept rewriting it. Hoping I will do it justice this time and hoping having one chapter up will get me writing faster. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
> 
>  
> 
> ps thanks for reading if u got this far haha


	2. Home Assistant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank refuses to refer to his new employee as a "maid"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thanks to all who read the previous chapter and left a comment. It was all so overwhelmingly positive, more so than I thought. So, yeah, BIG THANKS TO ALL!
> 
> Side note, last time, I forgot to mention that in this story Frank is older and Gerard is younger. I thought it only made sense since Frank has been a boss for a while. I also just wanted to experiment a little haha!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Eventually, he did end up hiring the guy and taking a day off to just relax. He made sure to align his day off with the first day of work for his new... _assistant_ at home. It only seemed logical to take the time to meet the guy properly. 

It felt like heaven to sleep in. Frank felt better than he had in a long time after 4 hours of extra sleep than normal and prepared himself a nice breakfast involving his secret recipe pancakes.

Being the guy that never really spent time at home other than to sleep, it took him a whole moment to catch onto what was happening when he heard the doorbell. 

It quickly dawned on him who it was and he left his unfinished pancakes on the table to get the door, cursing himself for not preparing any breakfast for the guy.

Frank swallowed, he swallowed _hard_ at the sight of the young man on his doorstep. He knew immediately that things were going to be a lot harder than he first thought.

After gawking at the guy for a moment, he shuffled uncomfortably.

“Hello sir, I’m here for the job interview?” The man asked, sounding unsure. 

The unmistakable smell of a sweet Omega surrounded the young man at his door but Frank ignored it, scolding himself for thinking purely on his instincts.

“Yes!” He exclaimed when he realized he was taking too long. “And no, no need for an interview, you are already in, Pat hasn’t told you?” He asked as he pushed the door open to let the guy in. 

“Oh... No sir, he hasn’t told.”

Frank closed the door and made a face at the reappearance of _“sir”_ in the sentences.

“Don’t sir me please, I really get enough of that at work.” He chuckled. “My name is Frank.” He stated, reaching his hand out to the younger, who seemed to be blushing.

“I know.” He whispered, seemingly to himself, before snapping back to reality and shaking his hand. “My name is Gerard. Gerard Way.” He clarified.

“Very nice to meet you Gerard.” Frank replied, smiling warmly.

It took a while to get used to Gerard. Especially on some days like the one that he was having. 

Frank came home at around six o’clock, unintentionally slammed the door then proceeded to curse himself for slamming it. He took off his suit jacket and clumsily hung it on the coat hanger by the door. 

He cursed loudly as he caught a glimpse of Gerard working in the other room as he, for a moment, thought he was alone. 

“Sorry... Forgot you were there.” He mumbled tiredly, retreating to his bedroom to change into his casual clothes.

Out of habit, he went straight to the laundry room, taking the dirty laundry out of the basket and turning all the shirts inside out then stuffing them in the machine, all one by one and slowly. That was, of course, until Gerard walked in and gasped.

“Sir! Please let me do it.” He said making a move to grab the shirt out of Frank’s grasp until the Alpha pulled it to his chest protectively, making Gerard gasp again and flinch away from the other man.

“Sorry, Gerard I didn’t mean to do that.” Frank apologized, letting go of the shirt in favor of walking closer to the scared Omega. “It’s just-“He sighed. He didn’t really know how to explain his habits without making a fool out of himself. He gently petted Gerard’s shoulder to help him calm down.

“I like doing this.” He put it simply. “Just let me do it, okay?” He kept his tone soft as to not scare the younger again.

Gerard just nodded and shuffled out of the room with his head hung low.

Frank sighed as he went back to the laundry, cursing one more time for good measure. 

Surely, it took time to get used to, yes, but Frank did notice how nice and clean the apartment always seemed to be. He appreciated the hard work of the younger, sometimes though, that neat freak in him would force him to do things even when it was already fine. Things like refolding all the towels in the bathroom in color coordination, just so that he got to do something when he got home, rearranging his already well arranged closet, moving the plates from one cabinet to the other, just because. 

This behavior seemed to result in funny matters with Gerard. When he decided to color coordinate the bath towels again later, they were already corrected by Gerard before he came home. When he decided to move plates from one cabinet to the other again, they were already placed in that cabinet, once again, by Gerard and so on.

Frank took care to close the door calmly in the following days. He reminded himself that Gerard is in the house and still working. Instead of going for his usual change of clothes as he always does, he went straight to look for Gerard, meaning to tell him about the funny matter at hand.

He found the younger in the kitchen doing the last of the dishes.

“Hey Gerard,” He started. The young Omega flinched.

“H-Hi there, I didn’t hear you come in sir... I-I mean Frank!” He choked out.

Frank chuckled at his home assistant. 

“You know, you don’t have to panic like that right?” He asked as he went to the sink where Gerard was standing to help him with the dishes.

“Sir- Frank! I can do that, please.” He panicked once again.

Frank smiled at him.

“I know you can, but we can do it together as well. How about I clean these up and you dry them and place them in the cabinet while I do that?” He suggested.

“I- Okay...” Honestly, Frank was glad there was something to do. Otherwise, he was pretty sure he would go insane.

They finished the rest of the dishes together, one by one Frank cleaning the plates and handing them to Gerard. 

“Come take a seat Gerard.” Frank offered as he waved his hand in the direction of the living room. 

Gerard followed, though he seemed a little tense.

“It’s okay,” Frank tried to reassure. 

“I just wanted to talk to you about something I noticed.” He started and Gerard nodded along.

“First of all, don’t think I didn’t notice how nice the place looks all the time now.” He praised. “But I also noticed that you like to keep things the way you know I keep them and that’s good.” Gerard nodded, looking less tense than before. “The thing is,” Frank continued. “I need to do some things too. It’s true that I don’t always have time for cleaning up everything, which is why you are of great help, but you have to understand that this is quite therapeutic for me.”

Gerard looked very confused. Frank would bet that the Omega was thinking _What kind of Alpha does cleaning?_ to himself.

“I know, I know.” He said, “I know most Alphas don’t like to clean, but I do. Let’s make an arrangement, okay?” Gerard nodded but he still looked confused. “You should leave at least one thing up to me. It could be like today where we finish up together but really anything is fine. Oh! Actually, if it is laundry then that’s better. Can you do that Gerard?”

“Yes, yes I can.” The young Omega nodded once again.

Things got a lot easier after that. Every time Frank got home there was at least one thing to do, like they had agreed. Most of the time it was laundry like he had asked, but of course there couldn’t possibly be laundry every day so some days it was dishes with Gerard again. Frank found himself enjoying the dishes just as much as the laundry, not because it was therapeutic like laundry, but because it was with Gerard.

He was definitely getting used to Frank, loosening up a lot more in the past few weeks and chatting with the Alpha, especially on their dish days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading through the entire chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you are just as excited as I am for the upcoming chapters. Leave a comment and let me know how you felt about this one!


	3. Under The Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alpha or not, Frank still has a shitty immune system ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who send constant love to this fic! I expect to get a few busy weeks in the near future though most likely updates will still be good to go. 
> 
> ( ps. i wasn't sick when i wrote this but now i am so i'm feeling for this chapter ok end of note sorry )

 

The weather was starting to change and it goes without saying that Frank was feeling the starting stages of sickness closing in on him. One morning, he woke up feeling especially sick but he powered through half of the day until after the scheduled meeting. That’s when Patrick forced him to go back home early, calling him reckless for showing up in the first place.

He came back to his apartment at around midday, feeling completely drained already. He walked past Gerard dusting the shelves in the living room.

“Hey Gerard.” He greeted, noting that his voice had already started cracking with the sickness on its way.

“Oh hi! You’re early.”

“Yeah, not feeling so well.” He smiled sadly as he retreated to his bedroom. He changed into his comfortable clothes and passed out on the bed before he knew it.

The next time he opened his eyes he had the blankets on him, which he didn’t remember pulling, and a glass of water beside his bed, which he also didn’t remember placing there, mind you.

He did take the glass of water though, as he felt it would freshen him a little at least.

He slowly got out of bed, his weight felt twice more than usual already, yet he forced his body to move through the apartment until he found Gerard in the kitchen.

It was now nearly time for him to leave.

“You didn’t leave anything for me?” He asked the man doing the dishes.

“Frank! You’re up.” He smiled.

“Yeah,” The Alpha smiled back. “Let me help.” He said, taking the plates from him.

Gerard whined. “Frank, do you have to? Even when you are sick?”

“Yes, I do.” Frank replied stubbornly.

Gerard sighed and dried the plates. As he was placing the last few, Frank’s stomach started grumbling loudly. He laughed it off but Gerard hummed in wonder.

“You didn’t eat anything for the whole day.” He thought aloud.

“It’s alright.” Frank shrugged it off again.

“I’ll make something for you.” Gerard decided.

“No, no! I’ll do it, it’s nearly the end of your shift.” Frank objected but Gerard just smiled at him and reached for the pot.

Frank simply could not stop the younger man. He ended up laying half dead on the couch while the other cooked for him. It didn’t particularly make Frank feel better that he was letting his assistant work overtime but he seriously couldn’t stop the guy. _Has to be some sort of Omega instinct to care for a sick Alpha._ He thought.

“At least stay to eat something of your own. It’s dinner time already and you spent your time here instead of on your way home.” Frank grumbled from the couch.

Gerard just giggled as he set up the table.

Finally getting up to sit at the dining table, Frank was delighted to see that Gerard had set it up for two. A small smile was still playing on his lips as the younger took a seat across from him.

“Looks delicious,” He commented, looking down at the food placed on his plate almost artistically. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Gerard mumbled out as he blushed. In his half dead state, Frank couldn’t possibly bring himself to deny how cute that looked.

The next morning, his body felt like a block of concrete on his mattress. He knew he had to get up, he needed the bathroom badly, but he still spent 15 minuets extra in bed, just to work up the energy to get up.

He sulked to the kitchen after the bathroom and made himself a cup of coffee in hopes that it would maybe help him wake up properly.

Approximately an hour later, Gerard found him passed out next to his untouched, cold coffee.

The Omega’s soft touch on his shoulder woke Frank up from his fitful sleep on the dining table.

“You should go back to bed Frank.” He was saying.

Frank vaguely remembered nodding along before Gerard helped him into his bed just for him to fall straight back to slumber.

A violent shiver shook his entire body as he opened his eyes once again. He turned his heavy head to the side and was very relieved to see Gerard working in the next room through the open door.

“Gerard?” He croaked out. Thankfully Gerard was already on the lookout for the sick Alpha so he heard and rushed to the older man’s side.

“Cold,” Frank stated simply just as another shiver raked through his body. “More blankets.” He mumbled and buried his face into the one that was already wrapped tightly around his body.

Gerard reached out to snake his hand between Frank’s forehead and the blanket. Checking the other’s temperature, Gerard wasn’t surprised to find that the Alpha was burning up.

“You’re burning up Frank.” Frank replied with a broken hum.

Next thing he knew Gerard was peeling away the blankets from his face.

“Give me a second.” He excused himself then returned with a bowl of ice and a piece of cloth.

Frank groaned as soon as he saw the materials and knew exactly what was to happen to him.

Gerard just giggled as he placed the icy cold cloth on Frank’s burning forehead.

Hissing and shivering through the whole process, Frank let himself bask in the soft brushes of Gerard’s cold fingertips against his hot skin.

He caught himself staring into the Omega’s pretty eyes as the younger took care of him. It felt oddly domestic and Frank had to remind himself multiple times that he is paying the guy to be there.

A voice at the back of his head reminded him that taking care of a sick Frank totally was not part of the job description as he fell asleep once again with Gerard kneeling by his bed this time.

“You look a lot better.” Patrick noted a few days later when he was finally able to get back to the office.

He had a _mountain_ of work from the past few days piled up on his desk.

“Yeah, but fuck knows I won’t be able to get all this done on time.” He sighed, picking his way through the paper mountain.

“I’m sure you will boss.” Patrick giggled. “Just make sure you don’t get sick again.” He added knowing his friend probably would end up feeling sick once again soon enough.

Patrick walked up to the desk to leave the workload for the day on the desk along with all the others.

“At least things are easier at home now, right?” Patrick asked looking sympathetic for the amount of work waiting for Frank.

The Alpha nearly swallowed his own tongue thinking about Gerard at home. He had just about forgotten that the younger Omega was a _friend_ of Patrick. He immediately felt even worse for letting himself enjoy Gerard’s soft touches the way he had.

“You alright there boss?”

Frank waved his hands around, made up whatever story he could about just being concerned about the work already.

As soon as Patrick left the room though, Frank fucking kicked himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Things just go a lot smoother when you're kinda hazy with sickness right? lol. Leave a comment to let me know whether you enjoyed the undeniable chemistry between our two boys!
> 
> ps. Guys I tried so hard writing this note just so I don't spoil my future plan for this fic.  
> yes i planned ahead WoW  
> and i don't even mean like next chapter  
> i mean like next few chapters  
> lol  
> ok  
> i gotta go before i say too much  
> god im too old to be here  
> k  
> rant over  
> thanks  
> bye <3


	4. Mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never forget about your mama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thanks for your support and patience for this fic! The past week has been busier than expected but as promised here is my new update :)
> 
> Enjoy!

He eventually managed to go through the extreme amount of paperwork. He had no idea how long it took him, just that it took way too long and also that he had to start working extra hours.

It was late when he came back home. Gerard was already done with his shift, had kindly left Frank a smaller pile of laundry than usual, considering his late shifts recently, and freshly cooked dinner in the kitchen.

Frank had really been trying to put some space between himself and Gerard once again, hoping to take everything back under control. Gerard didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he had to have been connecting it to Frank’s business getting more and more busy than usual due to his sickness a few weeks back.

After he changed out of his work clothes, Frank set out to do the laundry.

He was pretty engrossed in what he was doing so it took him three or four rings to actually hear his phone.

He mentally cursed at himself when he saw that it was his mother calling.

He had been either so sick or so busy for at least a month or so and he had totally skipped on chatting with his mother.

“Hello? Mom?”

“Frankie, darling! Do you even remember who I am anymore?” His mother questioned him, laughing. He laughed along. _Well at least she’s not angry about it._

“Sorry mom, things were pretty hectic lately.” She hummed understandingly.

“I’ve been reading a lot of what you’ve been up to, a lot seems to be going on baby. Do you need any help with anything? You’re not sick right?” He leaned against the counter smiling.

“Nope, I’m already over my annual flu. And uhh... yeah, about the help thing...”

“Oh no baby, I hope you are not living in a dump.” Frank laughed at the serious tone of his mother. He was definitely taking after her with the neat freak thing.

“Quite the opposite actually. I have plenty of help nowadays.”

“Huh... How so?”

“I have uhh... some home assistance now.” His mother laughed at his choice of words.

“What now Frankie? Are you becoming one of those big businesses guys?”

“What? No!” She had to have known Frank hates that kind of stuff. “It’s temporary, alright?” He assured.

“No, no darling. I was just joking. I think it’s good for you.”

“I don’t know about that...” He mumbled low.

“So,” She started once again.

“So?”

“I’m still waiting for you to invite me over for dinner.” Frank had to laugh at her sassy nature. So, of course, Frank invited her over.

She dropped by his office the next day. When they hugged and kissed it truly made Frank realize how much he had missed her. He promised himself he wouldn’t ever forget about her like that ever again.

After he was done with the last few documentsat the office and his mother was done gushing over Patrick, Frank drove them to his house.

As soon as they reached the doorstep, Frank remembered that he forgot to tell Gerard his mother would be over. He felt slightly bad just leaving him out of the loop like that when in reality he had no obligation to tell him who he was coming home with.

“Oh, hi there,” Gerard said upon seeing them enter the living room. He looked slightly confused at the other person but as kind as always nonetheless.

“Hi there Gerard. This is my mother.” He introduced them gesturing at his mother.

“Hello there young man! Frankie tells me you help him around the house now?” Frank just sighed knowing his mother was bound to embarrass him but also knowing that he can’t stop her. That being said, he just made his way to his bedroom to change out of his work clothes, already loosening his tie on the way. He hated suits with a passion and it didn’t help that he had to wear one every single day.

When he came back out his mother was still gushing over Gerard and praising him. He saw Gerard was smiling though, which meant that it should be okay.

“Oh, I should help with the dinner!” Gerard decided when he saw Frank.

“It’s alright Gerard, you don’t have to bother.” Frank, as always, shrugged it off.

“No, no! I know you are always busy. You should catch up with your mom while you can. She is very sweet. I’ll get the dinner so you guys don’t have to worry about it.” He concluded, smiling that warm smile at Frank that tells him he can’t speak Gerard out of this one.

Frank smiled back, shaking his head. “Alright then. No need to fuss over it too much though, okay?” Gerard nodded and headed over to the kitchen.

His mother was laughing once again.

“He is one sweet boy, isn’t he?” She asked, probably rhetorically.

Frank laughed uncomfortably. _He definitely was the sweetest Omega the Alpha had ever laid eyes on._ Frank shook his head, scolding himself for his own thoughts.

“Sure he is...” He mumbled.

She didn’t seem to pick up on him, which was great. She just pulled him down to sit with her on the couch.

“Tell me about what you’ve been doing baby. We haven’t talked in so long!”

Frank did exactly that. He told her about the recent interviews, the new contracts, how he got sick, leaving out the parts where Gerard took care of him.

Just when he was getting to the part where he had to go through a mountain of documents when he got back to the office, he was cut off by a painful yelp coming from the kitchen.

He immediately sprang to his feet and hastily made it to the kitchen, his mother trailing close behind.

“Are you okay?” He asked moving closer to Gerard so he could see what’s wrong.

The younger was clutching his finger close to his chest. Judging by the cutting board and the knife in front of him, Frank assumed it was a cut.

“Here, let me see.” He peeled Gerard’s hand off of the wounded finger. It didn’t look too deep but there was a lot of blood rushing out.

“We should wash it.” He proceeded to gently pull Gerard to the sink.

He washed the blood away with lukewarm water, making sure he didn’t put too much pressure on it. Once it was clean Frank saw it was deeper than he first thought. He could seethe two pieces of skin separating from each other. It still wasn’t severe but it was enough to make Frank worry.

He grabbed a paper towel from the side of the sink and softly patted it on the cut to dry it off. He got slightly distracted as he was doing this. He looked up at Gerard to make sure he wasn’t in too much pain and found that he wasn’t even looking down at his finger anymore, he was looking straight at Frank. He blushed and looked away when they made eye contact.

Frank decided to completely ignore that for the sake of his mother still standing in the doorway. He pulled a drawer open and produced a bandaid out of it to cover the cut.

“Let me help you finish up.” He said once he was done wrapping the bandaid around the other’s finger. Gerard’s hand lingered in his for a second longer than needed.

“No! I mean- it’s okay.” He said and smiled. “I can handle it.” He added with that same smile plastered on his face as if he didn’t just cut himself. “Thank you.” He whispered and blushed once again.

Frank breathed out an awkward laugh.

“Okay, yeah.” He said nervously and shuffled out of the room, dragging his mother out as well.

“You didn’t tell me you were into him!” She exclaimed.

Frank whimpered.

“No mom!” He whisper-shouted. “Please don’t. It’s not like that and we will talk about this later, okay?”

Frank wasn’t keen on talking about it later either but of course she brought it up as soon as Gerard served the dinner and left.

“He is sweet and good for you Frank.” She said as they sat down to eat, sounding confident.

Frank groaned. “Mom, _no_.”

“Why not?” She whined.

“He is working for me!” He exclaimed the obvious.

“So what?” Frank just sighed at his mother’s ignorance.

“It’s not right mom. I can’t think about him like this.” He sighed. “Not to mention he is Patrick’s friend too!”

“I really don’t get the problem darling.” She stated, sweet but dead serious. Frank just shook his head strictly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and let me know if you agree with mom or Frank!


	5. I Sense You're Tense

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are slightly... tense.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you for all your kind comments and patience on this fic! I try to update it as much as possible but if we are being honest here, every time I write this I'm procrastinating or ignoring my responsibilities so I can't really update it as frequently as I would like. Anyways, future updates are expected, I'm not abandoning :) 
> 
> Enjoy!

When he came back home the next day to find Gerard working in the living room, he immediately knew there was something wrong. The air felt stiff, maybe his inner Alpha instinct was sensing something wrong with the other, or maybe it was just his own awkwardness after the small interaction between the two of them from the day before. Whichever it was, Frank simply knew there was something.

His suspicions were very much corrected when Gerard didn’t even seem to notice him in the living room. He always greeted the Alpha for the past few weeks. He never missed a day, _never_.

“Gerard?” He moved closer to the Omega but stopped dead in his tracks when the other flinched away.

“Oh Frank! I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come in.” He said shooting a forced smile his way. Frank frowned.

“Hey,” He soothed, trying to move further into the room once again. “Is everything alright?” He asked.

Gerard nodded as soon as the words left Frank’s mouth.

There was a moment of silence where Frank silently waited for Gerard to say something or explain further. He sighed when he got nothing.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s just-“ He scratched his head, trying to think of a way to word his worry without sounding as worried as he actually was. “Is it something I said?” He asked, unsure.

“No! No really, it’s okay.” He tried faking a smile and failed once again.

“Alright.” Frank sighed and shook his head. _I simply can’t be pressuring the other like that._ He decided. _Its not my place, I’m not the person to be doing that._

He stopped by his bedroom then went straight to his study. He wanted to read over some of the papers from earlier to hopefully take his mind off of the Omega working in the other room.

It did help take his mind off of things. He always got very caught up in his work and he was almost scared when he heard a knock on the door.

It wasn’t even closed but Gerard had knocked on the door, presumably to gain his attention.

He took off his reading glasses and placed his pen down on the desk, letting Gerard know wordlessly that he had his full attention.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled and looked down, ashamed. Frank’s heart ached at the sight. He had absolutely no reason to apologise! Frank mentally scolded himself for making the younger feel guilty like that. _Its not his fault, for gods sake, if he wants to keep his private life away from his boss._ He thought.

“Don’t be.” Frank smiled at him when he peered up. “Really, you have no reason to be.” He assured. “I shouldn’t have pressured you like that.”

“No, I-“ He was fidgeting with the door handle and he looked very uncomfortable. “It’s...”

Frank kept looking at him intently, letting him know that he was still listening but also not pushing him to say more.

“There are a lot of people who don’t really like you.” He stated then proceeded to hang his head low once again, appearing sad.

Frank frowned in confusion. He couldn’t really connect the dots.

“I know.” He replied, nodding. “What about them?” He didn’t really see how Gerard’s state of mind today related to him.

“They’re wrong.” He whispered so quietly, Frank almost didn’t hear it. “There are people that say you are trying to ruin our system, saying that you are not a good Alpha. I don’t believe in them.” He stated. His voice seemed to grow more and more confident the more he talked. Frank shook his head, still slightly confused.

“I don’t think I’m following this...” He stated.

Gerard looked frustrated, mostly at himself, then he proceeded to sigh and fidget even more.

“You... are a very good and caring Alpha.” The way he sounded, uttering those words out loud, was doing things to Frank that made him _incredibly_ uncomfortable. “Like yesterday!” His eyes seemed to shine at the thought of the memory of his injury, or more likely how Frank took care of him afterwards.

“You were so nice and caring...” He daydreamed about it, blushing slightly and smiling. Frank must have been completely blank faced the whole time.

“Thank you. But- I still don’t see how any of this relates to how you feel today.”

Gerard went back to looking sad then. Frank almost regretted it instantly.

“It’s... your scent Alpha...” He uttered and sighed. “When I went back home...” He hinted when Frank still looked confused.

The very moment that it clicked in his head Frank loathed himself. He hadn’t thought of it at the time, but when he interfered with Gerard all up close and personal the day before, especially considering the open wound even though it was small, he most likely left his own scent all over the unclaimed Omega. The younger surely must have had to explain things to someone else. Someone else who also most likely happened to have a disliking towards Frank.

“Oh god...” He sighed and rubbed his eyes. He had to think of a way of apologising without appearing as embarrassed as he was.

“I’m so sorry, Gerard. Things must have gotten very messy at home and-“

“It was my dad.” He had Frank’s attention with that. “He smelled you on me,” Frank grimaced at his mistake. “Told me to stay away from a disgrace like you.”

Frank had always felt horrible about terms like these. Even after he said that he didn’t agree with these, it still felt very intense for Frank to be hearing such words from Gerard’s mouth. Which, he thought, ironically proved it even more that he isn’t as tough as a true Alpha should be.

“Gerard...” He sighed again. “I’m truly sorry and I will keep my distance from now on. And if you want to listen to your father and leave I totally understand.”

It was sad to think that Gerard would leave but he had to give the option to the Omega. He couldn’t just keep him like that!

“But I don’t want anything to change.” Gerard mumbled, picking at his fingers. “He is wrong. You aren’t like that.”

Frank sighed.

“No, he is right Gerard. What I did was wrong and I won’t repeat anything like that again.” He said strictly, mostly trying to convince himself, and turned back to his papers to signify that the conversation was over.

It felt horrible to shut the sweet Omega out like he did but he told himself he had to take control of the situation before he let it get too far. Hell, he feared that he had already let it get too far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...  
> Something is brewing up if you couldn't tell :)  
> I hope you all like what I have in store for this!  
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think is next!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Your Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you need someone to talk to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, once again thank you for all your kind comments and patience on the next update. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The horrible feeling he got from shutting Gerard out got even worse when he noticed the other man growing colder. Sure, they were still talking and doing chores together every now and then, however, Gerard didn’t seem to hang around or smile at Frank like he used to anymore. It broke Frank’s heart but he told himself _it has to be this way_.

And it _was_ that way, until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Right as Gerard was about to leave Frank called out to him.

“Do you have some time to talk?” He asked reluctantly.

Gerard gave him a confused look that, Frank couldn’t deny, looked unbelievably cute on him. Despite his confusion, he nodded before settling down next to the older on the couch.

“Is everything alright Gerard?” He asked as if he didn’t know what was wrong. He simply could not find a better way of approaching the topic without appearing too eager.

“...Yeah?” He sounded confused too.

“I just noticed that-“ He hummed in an attempt to gain time. “That you’ve grown slightly colder. I just want to make sure you aren’t sick of your job or anything. I would hate to think that.” He tried to drag it into a more professional frame as much as he could and it wasn’t exactly a lie either. It was one hundred percent true, just not exactly what he was trying to get to.

“No, no. I’m... fine.” Gerard replied.

There were a _number_ of reasons why Frank didn’t like the sound of that reply.

“You sound unsure.” He chose to say instead of listing those reasons.

Gerard sighed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

When he saw the Omega fidgeting like that Frank second guessed himself. Maybe he went too far with pushing the younger again.

“I’m...” He sighed. “Its not really about work.” He confessed.

That, Frank did not expect. He must have let his guilt guide him into thinking that the Omega was acting strange because of him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Frank was clearly not doing well with the whole _keeping my distance_ game, he was aware, but also as a boss he truly did care about the well being of his employees.

Gerard nodded his head guiltily. “If that’s alright.” He whispered. It had to be the peak moment of the horrible feeling Frank had for shutting Gerard out. Why did he have to do that right when Gerard was in need of support?

“Of course it is.” He confirmed, nodding firmly.

“I’m surprised you haven’t commented about it. Maybe it’s out of kindness but I’m not... There is something wrong with me.” His eyes seemed to be tearing up. “There has to be.”

“Why would you think that Gerard? I don’t understand.” Frank shook his head in disbelief.

“Don’t you smell it, Alpha?” He asked, his voice but a tiny whisper.

Frank frowned deeply and sniffed the air but all he could pick up was the clean smell of the house and the sweet smell of Gerard that he had grown used to.

“Smell what, Gerard?”

“You can say it Alpha. I know my smell is disgusting. I know I’m a horrible Omega.”

“That is bullshit.” Frank said, way too fast and way too passionate for a boss. “I mean-“ He tried to cover up for his mistake. “Excuse my language, but that’s not true.” He argued.

Gerard just shook his head, tears threatening to fall from his glossy eyes. “Anyone that isn’t an Omega says this about me. I know it. My brother never wants to sit in the same room as me, my dad says I should go to a doctor for medical care, my friends always say-“

Gerard kept listing things off continuously and Frank proceeded to shake his head through the entire thing.

“Gerard,” Frank starts firmly, cutting Gerard off in the process. “That is _not_ how it works.”

It clearly wasn’t how it works and whoever had put Gerard under the influence that every scent is the same to everyone either had it completely wrong or wanted to hurt Gerard. Frank couldn’t find the words to properly explain it to Gerard without confessing his attraction to the Omega. He was gazing at Frank expectantly, waiting for a good explanation after his bold claim.

“It’s-“ He sighed. He just had to do it. “Look, for every Alpha, there is... a different range of scents that are attractive and a different set of scents that are... less desirable. Actually, that goes the same with how you smell the Alphas around you. It is natural. Its there to help us choose but that doesn’t mean that you are wrong Gerard, that just means that the people you know simply aren’t the right ones.” He explained and tried to play it off as cool as he could.

Gerard was still nervously looking down at his fidgeting fingers in his lap. Frank lightly placed his hand on the Omega’s shoulder to make him look up, still keeping a safe distance away from him.

“I’m being very honest with you Gerard, it’s just not how you think it is.” He reassured the younger softly.

“Can I...” Gerard looked up at Frank with bright red cheeks and shiny, hopeful eyes. “Can I get a hug?” He asked quietly.

Frank was taken aback by the Omega’s request. He didn’t want to say no and upset him further, however, he also didn’t want the other to get in trouble at home again for smelling like Alpha. Deep down, he also didn’t want to lose control over himself like with the kitchen incident.

“I...” Frank caught himself before he could agree. “I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble back home again.” He confessed.

Gerard sniffled softly at that and looked slightly let down. “I don’t care about what he says.” He mumbled under his breath.

Frank frowned.

“Gerard,” He squeezed the other’s shoulder reassuringly. “Is there more you want to talk about?” He offered, fueled on by Gerard’s comment about his father. “Maybe about home?” He hinted.

After a moment of silence Frank felt horrible for even asking. _Who do you think you are?_ He thought to himself. “Of course, you don’t have to.” He withdrew his hand. “Excuse my behaviour-“

“No!” Gerard nearly snatched the other’s hand and brought it back onto his shoulder hastily. “I really do need someone to talk to.” He didn’t dare look up into the eyes of his boss.

Frank nodded, silently urging the other to keep talking.

“It’s my father. He doesn’t really like me.” Frank could relate to that easily.

“Why wouldn’t he?” He asked, trying his best to keep his questions polite and not jump to conclusions. He felt Gerard subtly shifting closer. He made no comment about it.

“I’m not so sure.” He looked like a heartbroken man talking about it. Suddenly, Frank was feeling even guiltier for not letting the younger hug him. He clearly needed the comfort. “I think he always wanted to have an Alpha son…”

Frank hummed along and squeezed Gerard’s shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “That isn’t exactly your fault-” He caught himself before he could say _darling_ at the end of his sentence. He bit his lip, hoping that the younger didn’t notice he cut himself off. Gerard, either didn’t notice or he didn’t mention it, though he surely did scoot closer to Frank, not so subtly this time.

Frank sighed, unable to help himself, he gave Gerard a small side hug. The younger responded immediately and wrapped his arms tightly around his boss. His breath hitched against Frank’s neck and it felt like he could start crying any minute. “We were so much better when I was younger.” His voice was breaking and his breath was tickling Frank’s neck as he spoke.

Frank rubbed circles into his back. He was hesitant to touch at first, however, he found that he couldn’t hold back when he realised just how close to tears the Omega was. He was willing to cross his line if he could stop the tears from falling.

“Then later on,” A small sob escaped before he could finish his sentence.

“Shhh, It’s okay.” Frank whispered to him and held him tighter. It took a while to shush the Omega, but in the end he was just sniffling in Frank’s arms and softly apologising for breaking down. Patting his back gently, Frank assured the younger, once again, that it was fine and he didn’t have to continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter full of fluff? I know, I know haha I just can't help it with these boys! But hey, at least we got some insight into Gerard now, right?  
> HOWEVER! Something a tiny bit more exciting is on the way for the next update!!!  
> Leave a comment and let me know how much of a tease I am for letting you know about that and leaving! XD


	7. Suffocate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank gets a few suspicious texts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This is a few days later than I planned but its here and its very exciting so be prepared for that :))))
> 
> Enjoy!

As if it wasn’t already very busy at the office, it seemed to Frank that the workload was getting bigger and bigger each day. Him and Patrick had just finished the second meeting of the day and Frank was downright exhausted. “When did we get so busy Pat?” He asked rhetorically, leaning back on his chair.

Patrick giggled as he gathered the documents from the other end of the table. “When you decided to make bold claims and pissed millions of people off?” He suggested playfully. Frank laughed back.

“Guess so.” He sighed.

“I wouldn’t get too comfortable boss. We have another one in a few hours.” Patrick informed, making the Alpha groan.

Frank got up off of his chair. He stretched his limbs out then reached out to check his phone.

“Huh…” He found that he had 2 missed calls from Gerard.

“What is it?” Pat asked quickly.

He opened his messages to find a text from Gerard reading “Do you mind if I leave a little early today?”

“Gerard called.” He told Pat, confusion clear on his voice. “He is asking if he can leave early.”

He typed out a quick “I don’t mind at all” and hit send.

“I hope he is alright. He has never left early before.” He mindlessly voiced his worry to Patrick.

“Oh…” Pat didn’t sound too worried about it. “I’m sure he is alright.” He added very quickly. 

Frank hummed along and left for a smoke before the next meeting.

He was convinced everything was fine and had long forgotten that Gerard had left early until he made it home and found it empty. It was still spotless clean except for a hefty load of laundry. He was alright with it but he noted that it was more than what Gerard would usually leave him. The apartment was indeed clean, though, for whatever reason it felt very stuffy so Frank left the window open before he went to sleep and made a mental note to remember to close it before he went to work in the morning.

“You have an interview today.” Patrick reminded him as soon as he stepped inside his office.

“Jesus Pat, give me a moment.” He complained.

“I can’t, it’s in 15 minutes.” He pointed out.

Frank had to skip lunch to attend a meeting with Patrick straight after his interview and he was completely pissed off about it. After the meeting, as Pat had promised before, they went out together for late lunch. Shortly after their late lunch, Frank, for the second day in a row, got a text message from Gerard asking to leave early.

He replied with a “Is everything okay?” this time.

“I’m already done with everything.” Came the reply.

Frank almost found himself annoyed that his employee was leaving early for the second day in a row without an excuse, but then he decided that he is being ridiculous and that if Gerard has done his job then he should be allowed to leave. His job description didn’t include waiting for him to come home after all. He replied to the text with a less enthusiastic “Alright.” this time.

It wasn’t a big surprise, given the amount of workload he had to get done, that he had to stay behind at the office that day. Approximately three hours later than usual, Frank unlocked his apartment and stepped inside. It caught him off guard when the air inside seemed to be even stuffier than the day before along with the lingering sweet smell of Gerard teasingly reminding Frank that he had left early once again and that he was back to spending his afternoons all alone in his fancy apartment.

Frank simply knew something had to be wrong when he received another text from Gerard about leaving early on the third day in a row. He took a smoke break and found himself mentally listing off all the things that could have gone wrong.

Maybe he scared the poor omega off with his creepy crush on him somehow, maybe it was his father who smelled his scent on Gerard after that night he tried talking to Gerard, maybe Gerard simply hated his job, or even worse, what Frank had secretly been dreading the whole time, he found a new side job. Patrick did warn him at the very start that Gerard was going to work _temporarily_.

Frank sighed heavily and lit another cigarette.

Gerard was temporary and that was exactly why he hated that he had grown used to having him there when he came back home. He shouldn’t have let himself get used to the company so fast, he shouldn’t have let his stupid crush get bigger and out of control like that, he shouldn’t have-

“Frank?” Pat’s voice brought him back to reality. “You don’t look so good. What happened?” He was aware that Patrick was just trying to be a good friend but Frank honestly couldn’t bring himself to confess any of his thoughts involving Gerard to the other.

“I’m fine. Let’s get back inside, we have more papers to sign.”

Frank managed to keep his worry subtle and to himself through the day, but as he waited to get on his apartment’s level in the elevator, he reminded himself that Gerard wouldn’t be there to greet him. He felt himself deflating when he thought about how he hadn’t seen Gerard in 2 days. It was pathetic, really, just how attached to Gerard he had gotten. He knew he had a thing for the younger but he truly hadn’t realised the extent of it. He couldn’t take his mind off of the scent of him, it plagued his mind for the whole day and hit him harder than the day before when he stepped inside his apartment. He let out an involuntary low hum at the smell, his eyes rolling back.

The situation at hand was starting to scare him and he had no idea how to deal with himself. He couldn’t understand why he was so affected after only two days of not seeing the Omega and he didn’t understand why he was starting to go crazy over Gerard’s smell when he thought he had grown accustomed to it, he couldn’t understand the feeling he was getting from the scent.

Then it hit him. Realisation tumbled down on him like an avalanche when his clouded mind finally managed to connect the dots.

Gerard was in heat. He had to have been, it was the only logical explanation. It would explain how distracted Frank was and explain the scent lingering in his nose and explain Gerard’s disappearance.

Frank growled low in his throat, the new information his mind provided him with letting his wolf fully relish in the heavy scent that the Omega had left inside his house. He let his tired body collapse on the couch. He felt high on the scent, either that or he was suffocating, choking on the oh-so-sweet smell.

He briefly considered getting up and opening a window but his mind was too far gone. He just wanted to rub his body all over his couch cushions, let his scent mingle with Gerard’s and as embarrassing as it was, that was exactly what he found himself doing.

A sinking feeling quickly replaced his basic instincts and had him jumping up on his feet as if the couch cushions burned him. He darted to the other side of the room and poked his head out of the window, trying to get oxygen into his head. Breathing in the fresh air outside, another haunting thought popped up on his head.

If Gerard had been in heat for the past three days and he still came to Frank’s house to clean, how could he go back home? How could he be safe on the way back smelling like that? How could he take the bus or the train and if he was driving how the hell could he concentrate enough to drive? Actually, how was he even able to concentrate for long enough to clean Frank’s huge apartment? Many questions swarmed the Alpha’s head but he simply couldn’t focus on any for long enough.

He calmed himself down just enough to figure out his safest way out of the situation, which was to leave all the windows open and sleep on it before he allowed himself to do something very embarrassing fuelled by instinct.

He paced through the apartment and opened each and every window he could open then marched straight down the hallway to his bedroom, determined on keeping his mind clear. He flopped onto the bed, pulled all the covers over his head in a weak attempt to block out the scent.

_Why didn’t he just ask for a week off?_ He wondered. It should have been the first question to pop in his head, however, it seemed like he almost forgot he was employing Gerard.

He was aware that he really had to let go and sleep before things got out of hand, yet he still found himself reaching out for his phone. The thought of putting Gerard in danger by expecting him to be working the next day had him in a blind panic that made him forget all about his sleep-on-it-and-deal-with-it-later plan.

The phone rang until it fell into voicemail. Frank cursed under his breath. He kept trying over and over again until he finally heard the soft click of the phone being picked up. The other side of the line was completely silent.

“Gerard?” Frank asked. His voice sounded frantic even to his own ears.

There was a broken hum on the other end that sounded pretty far away from the phone.

“Hey,” Frank completely hated the relief on his voice but he was too far gone to try and hide it. “Are you okay?” He asked and soon registered that Gerard wouldn’t just openly confess his heat to his boss. “I mean, did you make it home safe?” Not that it sounded any less invasive, but Frank attempted to rephrase anyway.

“Hmm, yeah.” The reply was barely above a whisper and made Frank shiver.

“Okay, good.” He nodded to himself, feeling crazy. “Look Gerard,” He paused and tried his best to phrase the next question better. “If you want, you can take a few days off, alright?”

“Really?” His soft breathy voice sounded very hopeful and Frank knew that he had done the right thing.

“Yes,” He confirmed, his tone compassionate. “Of course you can.” There was a small pause filled by Gerard’s small pants. “I wish you had asked before your…” He whispered, immediately wishing he hadn’t said it when he realised he couldn’t finish the sentence and still pretend that he didn’t know what was wrong with Gerard. He probably picked up on the fact that Frank knows already, but it would have been better in terms of saving him the embarrassment if he hadn’t slipped. “Just, you don’t have to come around. Take as much time as you need Gerard.” He added quickly to try and cover up for his mistake.

Another broken hum and a quietly mumbled thanks from Gerard later he said goodnight and hung up, burying his face under pillows and blankets in an attempt to block out the smell and hoping to fall asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! What a chapter! I'm so happy to share this one with you all... Things are getting... hotter :)))   
> No jk don't expect smut anytime soon lol  
> Frank is too much of a dummy for that atm. 
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know if you noticed something off with someone in this chapter! (its kinda subtle!(maybe idk))


	8. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something seems off...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you so much for sticking with the fic if you're still around! I enjoyed reading about your thoughts last time and I hope you like this chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!!

Frank had to take a day off himself after telling Gerard he didn’t have to come. The Alpha had just had a horribly uncomfortable night and there was no way he would be able to focus on anything and make valid business choices in the state that he was in.

He was fully aware in the morning that his apartment had turned into an icebox after a full night of all windows open, however, he succeeded in getting rid of the sweet sweet smell that was surrounding the apartment the night before. Even if the smell was physically gone it was still lingering in his nose, filling him with this nervous, giddy feeling.

His eyes caught his tired reflection in the mirror. He looked like a total mess with his disheveled hair and the tired dark rings around his eyes. Had he even slept at all that night? All he could recall was a night full of embarrassing moments where he had barely been able to stop himself from doing the unthinkable. Come the morning, it didn’t seem like he was in any way recovered. He talked himself into getting in the shower and at least attempt to recover.

The shower also ended up with him nearly clawing out his eyes in frustration.

He was losing it. He just wanted it so bad, he just wanted to reach down and end it all. He wanted to relieve himself, he wanted to touch, he wanted to wrap his hands around himself and let it all go, he wanted to inhale all of that scent into his system, he wanted to find Gerard, get him in his arms and-

He caught himself with his hand wrapped loosely around his cock. He withdrew his hand immediately but he couldn’t undo what he had already done. He had done the unthinkable. He had touched himself at the thought of Gerard.

He felt like crying. It was so wrong, so, so, _wrong._ Out of all the people that could make him feel this way it had to be Gerard. His best friend’s friend, his _employee_ for fuck’s sake.

“Goddamn it...” His voice shook and so did his body as he whispered against the shower wall, water trickling down his lips. “Goddamn it!” He punched the cold tile wall in frustration, kicked the water off and got himself out of the shower.

He moped around helplessly for the rest of the day and told himself that he would never, ever do such a thing ever again.

For the following few days, Frank went back to work, which thankfully became a good distraction from constantly thinking about a certain Omega. Of course, Gerard was still on his mind throughout the whole week, sometimes at the surface of his thoughts, reminding him how Gerard is at home, in heat and smelling oh-so-very sweet, but other times at the back of his mind just as a simple piece of information that Gerard will come back to work with him.

Shortly, he got a message from Gerard notifying him that he will be back to work the next day and thanking him once again for the time off.

Frank had no idea how to feel about the fact that he would have to see Gerard again. Underneath all the embarrassment and guilt over what had happened a few days prior, Frank found that he was actually glad for Gerard to be coming back. His Alpha instinct wanted to check for himself that the younger was, in fact, okay. Also, he dreadfully concluded in his alone time that he really enjoyed and missed Gerard’s company.

Walking into his apartment in anticipation, Frank took off his coat and paced around the apartment to find Gerard. Eventually spotting him in the kitchen, he felt a smile making its way onto his face involuntarily.

“How have you been?” He asked, resulting in Gerard hastily turning around and returning his smile.

There was an underlying tone of ‘are you hurt’ in the question yet Frank wasn’t about to let his employee catch onto that so easily. It was a lot less emotionally confusing for both sides to communicate in this way. Of course, the young Omega did seem to get a gist of what Frank really meant and his smile faltered for a split second.

“I’m alright. Thank you.” A wobbly reply came from Gerard.

Frank frowned at the reaction he got. The initial excitement to see Gerard again must have kept him from noticing it before but there was surely something off about the younger. Something that wasn’t there before. It was quite apparent in his body language and more importantly his smell.

That sweet smell of heat was surely gone and replaced mostly with the Omega’s usual scent that Frank had grown comfortable with. Under that scent there was a sneaky stink that had settled under his skin. Frank would have said that Gerard had been knotted and mated if the stink was any more intense than it was. He still quickly checked over the visible skin of the younger for any mating marks anyways, scanning him quickly with his eyes. When he came up with nothing it was settled in his mind that Gerard was still an unclaimed Omega. He was very well aware that it was not up to him to be worrying about such things yet he couldn’t stop the thoughts from flowing.

Deciding against pressuring the other, he nodded as if he bought what Gerard just said. He ended the conversation with an“Alright.” and retreated to his bedroom.

Frank was still trying to figure out his mixed feelings on Gerard’s entrance back into his life when Patrick walked into his office the next morning.

“Here you go boss,” He said as he left a significantly smaller pile of paperwork on Frank’s desk.

“Patrick!” Frank called out without second thought just as Patrick was on his way out.

“Hmm?” Pat stopped in his tracks to look back at Frank who wore a conflicted expression.

“Is- I mean...” Frank sighed. He didn’t even know what he wanted to ask except that it was about Gerard.

“Is Gerard okay? I mean he just came back yesterday and he- he- he just kind of- I don’t know, actually, you know what, never mind.” He bit his lip and shook his head. He regretted ever opening his mouth. “Just- I don’t know, pretend like I never asked or something.”

“No, wait a minute.” Pat took a step closer to the desk. “Why did you ask? Did you notice something?”

It was already out of the ordinary to have a personal conversation during their shift and the fact that Patrick was digging into it more rather than giving him the “after work” look was concerning Frank even more.

“It’s...” Frank debated whether or not it was a good idea to talk about how Gerard smelled. There was a big possibility that he would make himself look very, very creepy and also a big possibility that he could be misjudging something and obsessing over it. “It’s nothing really.” He tried assuring Patrick.

“Come _on_ Frank, we both know that was a lie.”

Frank sighed. There was no way of slipping out of the discussion at that point and he knew it.

“Its just that I felt like... I felt like his scent changed.” He confessed guiltily.

“Oh. I’m-“ Patrick appeared to be at a loss but it felt like the information wasn’t that unexpected to him. “I’m sure he is fine.” He stated and started to walk out of the room once again, leaving Frank frowning at his back.

There was some real _bullshit_ going on and he did not like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a ride!   
> I can assure you that we are really getting into the thick of it now! Excitiiiing!!
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know how you're enjoying all this drama :))))


	9. Confirmations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank confirms his suspicions and gets some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! First of all, if you are here and reading this I would like to thank you for sticking to this. Other responsibilities got in the way of all of my fandom related activities. I'm hoping I'll get back on track with all of those but until then, here is the long awaited update! 
> 
> Enjoy!

He had quite literally sneaked out of his very own company building early in order to have a conversation with Gerard before he left. However, it was only after he had arrived in his garage that he found out he didn’t even know what to say.

It was pretty weird as it was that he was sitting in his car, in the dark garage of his apartment all alone and trying to piece things together. There had been something off with the way Patrick was acting when he asked that question and there was something wrong with Gerard too. He was sure of it. He was _not_ losing his mind.

After a long moment of stalling, he came to the conclusion that if he can’t come up with anything to say then he should just improvise and openly ask the questions that are on his mind.

He shut the door, locked the car, got in the elevator and fidgeted through the whole ride, mind racing on possible outcomes of the conversation he was about to have and what might be wrong.

Walking in, he was frozen on spot when his ears picked up on Gerard’s voice crying somewhere in the apartment. He hurriedly closed the door and wasted no time in finding Gerard.

“Don’t! Please, I’m scared!” He was begging between sobs over the kitchen counter.

“Gerard?” Frank walked up to him panic evident in his tone.

Gerard gasped as soon as he heard Frank behind him and dropped his phone on the ground. _So, he had been begging whoever was on the line._

“F-Frank? You-“ He gave Frank a horrified look. “You’re early.” He concluded.

“What is going on Gerard? Are you okay?” Frank froze with his hand mid-air. He hadn’t even registered that he was about to hold Gerard, caress him, comfort him or _something_. Had to be some sort of _goddamn_ instinct. He couldn’t _stand_ the sight of Gerard so hurt.

“I-“ Gerard was clearly at a loss. “Its-“ He didn’t know where to start and it was showing. “Frank-“

“Okay, calm down alright?” This time fully aware of it, Frank lightly placed both his hands on each of Gerard’s arms, trying to comfort him. The Omega nodded, letting some stray tears to fall down his face.

“So,” Frank started once he was sure Gerard was calm enough to answer. He had so many questions racing through his mind, so many things that he couldn’t piece together. Knowing that he had to pick the one question that mattered most, he settled with a simple “Are you okay?” first.

Gerard nodded as he sniffled a little. He looked so hurt and vulnerable.

“Okay, that’s good.” Frank assured more so himself than Gerard. “And are you safe?” Frank squeezed Gerard’s arms in a comforting manner.

Gerard took a moment this time but he still nodded. Frank nodded back in confirmation. “Good, good.” He added. He didn’t know how to carry on after those two questions. Something kept telling him that he would be going too far in asking any more questions but the protectiveness was eating away at him. He bit his lip. 

“What is happening Gerard?” His tone was gentler, lower this time, knowing he was crossing a line but still pushing him without forcing him.

“It’s...” Gerard was staring right through him with pain an worry all over his face but Frank instantly knew he would resist. “Complicated.” He finished.

Frank stared back at the Omega with sad eyes. He didn’t want to pressure the younger and scare him. He sighed deeply and let go of Gerard. “Okay.” He replied simply. He was right about to walk away when his phone rang in his jacket pocket.

Throwing Gerard one last worried glance, he left the kitchen to answer his phone.

“Hey Pat,” He greeted.

“Frank!” Frank’s face twisted from dejected to alert almost instantly when he heard the panic in Patrick’s voice. “Are you home?”

“Yes,” He answered swiftly.

“Is Gerard still there?”

“Yes?” He still hadn’t figured out what it was about the two of them but he had a feeling he was about to.

There was a sigh of relief from the other end of the line. “Thank god,” Patrick started and there was a small pause where Frank silently asked for Patrick to elaborate. “Look, Frank-“

“Don’t you try to slip out of it again, Stump.” Frank’s voice sounded threatening even to his own ears. He did not like it one bit whereas he knew he had to keep it up for at least a little longer if he wanted answers.

“Okay, okay!” Patrick surrendered. “How long have you been there?”

“About five or ten minutes or so.”

“Then you must have heard me on the phone with Gerard.”

“That was you?” Frank felt his blood boiling. He didn’t understand what Patrick could possibly say to make Gerard beg like that. He was ready to ask Patrick about that when the other jumped back in.

“I know! I know what it must have sounded like from his end, but please Frank, hear me out.” Frank silently waited until Patrick took the chance to speak up.

“I didn’t want to tell you about any of this because honestly, its not my place to fill you in on all of this. Though, I know you only have good intentions so here is the truth. Gerard, as I’m guessing you also know, considering you gave him time off,has been... hasn’t been great.” Frank could tell Patrick was still trying his best to let Gerard have some sense of privacy by avoiding to say that he was on heat openly.

“Yes. I’m aware.” He confirmed in order to save Patrick from the hassle.

“Right,” Patrick paused, presumably trying to gather his thoughts. “He came to my place to stay on the second day of his time off.” He explained. Frank frowned at the newfound information. Was that a thing? He wasn’t aware that omegas supported each other through their heats. He didn’t even fully understand the reason why Gerard went to Patrick’s at all. He just hummed as a reply, encouraging Patrick to continue.

“He, um-“ Patrick was trying to leave some things out. Frank could already tell. He knew Patrick well enough. “He was a little scared.” He confessed.

“Patrick,” Frank sat down on the edge of his bed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache from it all already. “I know we are both trying to let him have some privacy, but you do realise I’m very worried at the moment, right?”

“Okay, alright Frank, but please don’t tell him I told you. I promised him but I’m worried too and I can’t handle this on my own. He ran away from his house because when his dad smelled his heat he brought home some Alpha and left Gerard all alone with him. Gerard said he barely escaped, he’s fine but he’s really scared that the Alpha is going to find him, or even worse, that his dad is going to find him. So, I’ve been hiding him and leaving him with my mom at home when I work but tonight my mom needs to check on my sister and I have a date and he’s really afraid of being alone even if I told him-“ So that had been what Gerard had been so heart wrenchingly begging over. Begging for Patrick or _someone_ to simply stay with him, make him feel secure.

“Obviously he’s afraid of being alone Patrick.” Frank gritted out angrily. “Can’t your date wait?”

“Hey, wait a minute, you didn’t even listen to me!” Patrick protested. “We’ve been planning this date with Pete for ages and I already cut it short for him. It’s only going to be for a few hours and I was trying to tell him that just now.”

There was silence on both ends of the line. Frank was trying to rub his headache away while Patrick tried not to drown in his guilt.

Eventually Frank heard a light curse from Pat.

“I know I’m a horrible friend. I just-“ There was a frustrated sigh. “I didn’t realise it was this bad alright? I thought he could do for a few hours...” He trailed off. It was basically a monotone at that point. Frank just silently listened.

“I’ll cancel it.” Patrick decided, his voice barely audible. It was quite clear the date meant a lot to him.

“Don’t.” The Alpha just wouldn’t be able to break his heart like that. Besides, he had an idea. “He can stay with me.” He offered.

Patrick gasped.

“Would you really do that for me?” He asked, excitement dripping from his tone.

Frank huffed out a laugh. He had missed talking to Patrick about things that aren’t work related.

“If Gerard agrees then why not. I’m lonely as fuck anyways.” He laughed bitterly. “So you should ask _him_ that, not me.”

“Well I would but I can’t because he isn’t answering his phone, which is why I called you in the first place.” He explained.

“He’s not? Huh.” Frank got up off his bed and made his way out. “I’ll go talk to him. Thanks Pat. I’ll keep you posted.” He hung up after saying his goodbyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo I'm actually really excited about sharing this chapter where we are starting to get more story out of Gerard. Side note: The incident that took place isn't discussed in great detail and I don't intend to have it discussed down to that level of detail until much later in the story if ever. 
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter & I hope you don't hate me too much for making you wait longer! Leave a comment and let me know :)


	10. Sleepover!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sleepover, a nice dinner and little bit of harmless double meanings occur.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, 
> 
> I realize there has been a huge delay with this fic and I apologize for this. I truly appreciate all the comments left on the past chapter and I'm sorry to say I won't individually reply to all of them. Regardless, a big thank you to all who left comments and all who came back for more :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Gerard was sitting on the couch, hunched over something, when Frank found him. He wordlessly made his way over to him and took a seat beside him.

Gerard’s head shot up instantly. “I’m sorry I scared you... again.” Frank apologised. Just as Gerard started shaking his head to signal that its okay, Frank’s eye caught what Gerard was previously hunched over.

“Is it broken?” He asked as he reached for the cracked phone in the younger Omega’s clutch.

“It won’t turn on.” Gerard confirmed, though he didn’t sound phased by it. “I guess I dropped it badly.” He shrugged as Frank inspected the device.

“I’ll replace it for you.” Frank decided, nodding to himself.

Gerard’s eyes widened at the offer. “No, no! I can’t accept that. Its okay.” He gingerly took the phone back from the Alpha.

“I shouldn’t have crept up on you like that.” He tried reasoning with the Omega. “I didn’t even let you know that I would be early.” The younger shook his head.

“You don’t have to tell me. Its your house. I shouldn’t have dropped it like tha-“

“Gerard,” Frank was slightly more stern in his tone, but certainly not bossy. “Let me replace it.”

“I-I can replace it.” The younger argued. Frank smiled at him. He would never admit it, yet he loved it when Gerard would argue back.

His argument didn’t make much sense though. After all, Frank knew the exact amount that he was paying the younger. A reasonable amount, especially when compared to most other Omegas working the same hours as him, but still nowhere near enough to easily afford an unexpected phone replacement.

He didn’t want to shut Gerard down. He would just hand him a new phone as soon as he could, so he resorted to gravitating the conversation to where he wanted it instead.

“I talked to Patrick just now.” Gerard gasped. “He didn’t tell much, but he told enough.” He explained briefly.

“Gerard,” Frank scooted closer to the Omega and lightly placed his hand atop his knee in a comforting manner. “You can stay here tonight.” He offered. “Actually, you can stay here anytime, for as long as you need to.” He added.

“F-Frank,” Gerard wore a shocked and equally flattered expression with a touch of blush on his cheeks. “Thank you, but, I wouldn’t want to be in your way or-“

“Oh Gerard, don’t be like that.” Frank shook his head in disapproval. “I don’t mind having you around. In fact,” He smiled at the younger warmly. “You are nice company.”

Gerard’s blush was instantly deepened. He was about to protest again when Frank cut him off. “After all, you were going to come back here in the morning. There is a guest room as well and it’s all ready for a guest, thanks to you.” He squeezed Gerard’s knee.

Gerard gave a tiny nod of his head. He appeared apprehensive, however, Frank was sure he was gonna feel better about it once he saw for himself that he was no burden at all.

“Come on then,” Frank tapped Gerard’s shoulder as he got up, ushering the other to follow.

Through his bedroom, Frank lead them to his walk-in closet. Gerard looked significantly more uncomfortable than before as soon as he stepped into Frank’s bedroom. Obviously he had seen it before, the closet too, Frank assumed he felt uncomfortable to be there with him.

“Let’s see,” Frank started rummaging around his clothing, looking for something that could fit the younger. He would never let him sleep in his jeans. That would just be torturously uncomfortable.

“I should have some here...” He mumbled to himself. He looked over his shoulder momentarily and flashed Gerard a smile as his hands worked around his closet. “I think you are at least a little bigger than me.” He couldn’t help but snicker at the situation at hand. It was quite rare for an Omega to be bigger than an Alpha. That being said, he was a little smaller than the average Alpha.

He turned back around with a shirt in his grasp and saw that Gerard had turned completely red by then. He frowned for a second, unable to detect the source of his embarrassment. Then as he replayed what he said in his head, he caught onto the double meaning. Yes, there were rarely some Alphas that may have a smaller build or Omegas that have a slightly bigger build, but never, _never_ , an Omega that is bigger between the legs when compared to an Alpha. His mouth involuntarily tugged into a smirk. He didn’t take back what he said. He didn’t elaborate either. He just handed Gerard a grey shirt that was baggy on himself and then went back to the closet in search of some sweatpants or pyjama bottoms.

He eventually found a nice pair that looked like it could fit the younger. Gerard was clutching the grey shirt, still looking just as uncomfortable as before, when Frank handed him the bottoms he found.

“You didn’t need to…” The Omega blurted out as if Frank hadn’t already went through his closet to find the clothing.

Frank rolled his eyes fondly at the comment. The other had to have taken it the wrong way as he immediately started showering Frank in apologies and appreciation.

“Its alright Gerard. I wasn’t going to let you sleep uncomfortably anyways.” He confessed and shot a warm smile towards Gerard. He vaguely motioned for the other to follow and led them to the guest bedroom.

“So delightfully clean and tidy.” He joked with a smirk plastered across his face. The Omega just seemed to blush more, giving Frank exactly the reaction he was looking for. “Alright,” He started in a more serious manner. “Please make yourself at home.” He offered like the great host that he was and made his way out of the room. “And of course,” He added right before closing the door. “Don’t hesitate to tell me if you need anything at all.”

Gerard, being the sweet Omega that he was, attempted to cook dinner for them and of course Frank, being the stubborn one, didn’t let Gerard cook alone and the two ended up cooking and eating dinner together.

Not much later in the night, after their nice dinner, Frank announced that he was going to bed and assumed Gerard went right after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To answer the main question: yes, I will continue this fic, although, due to a horrible summer, I will most likely continue slower than expected.
> 
> If there are any mistakes or any weird sentences in this chapter, please try to overlook it as I haven't been able to proofread it much. 
> 
> & of course thank you very much for reading :)


	11. A Vicious Cycle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first night goes by and Frank is still just _Frank _.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter and are all doing very well :)  
> Without further ado, here is the new chapter!
> 
> Enjoy!

It wasn’t unusual for Frank to get up and go to the bathroom in the night. It was usually annoying, he cursed whoever built a fancy penthouse without an ensuite, and he never wanted to leave his warm bed just to go to his cold, tiled bathroom. That night was no exception though if nature calls one must answer. On the way back to his bed, however, in his sleepy haze, Frank was confused to see light seeping under the closed door to his guest room. He stood there, in the hallway, for a moment, letting his groggy mind recall his memories.

Shortly, he recollected that Gerard was staying over along with the intricate reasoning that led to him staying. He debated whether or not he should check on Gerard. He didn’t want to make it awkward but he also felt obligated to check if the Omega was okay, especially since the lights were still on in the dead of the night.

Whether it was the fact that Frank expected things to go wrong or the caring Alpha instinct that motivated him to do it, it proved to be the right decision to check on Gerard seeing as there was shuffling on the other side of the closed door.

He listened to Gerard’s voice on the other side carefully. It sounded like the Omega was crying, he could hear soft sniffles and whimpers.

He waited another moment to weigh out his options then finally, he raised his fist and knocked on the door gently, causing all the sound from the other side to come to an end abruptly.

“Gerard?” He asked softly, speaking so that Gerard would know it’s only him and no one else. There was no reply. He knocked again, he knew the Omega was awake.

“Are you okay Gerard?”

“Frank?” The soft, sweet voice of the Omega sounded so broken to Frank’s ears it made his heart hurt. He had planned to just ask if he was okay then leave but his instinct pulled the Alpha in as he cracked the door open and slipped in through the small gap as if the room would be flooded if he had opened the door wider.

Gerard was curled up on the king sized bed with his knees drawn up to his chest and the blankets a protective layer over his body. He looked so small and vulnerable balled up on the spacious bed.

“Is everything okay Gerard?” The Alpha asked again, suddenly wide awake with concern. When he received nothing but quiet sniffles in response, Frank carefully inched closer to the bed and sat down on the edge. Seeing the poor Omega up-close, Frank could easily tell that he hadn’t had any sleep at all.

“Nightmares?” He asked, hoping to understand the situation. Gerard shrugged.

“Not really, I just couldn’t sleep... but then... I just started thinking and-” He choked out between sniffles. “A-and-“ He cut himself off with a loud sob.

Frank reached out to try and get the Omega’s long messy hair out of his face and hopefully calm him down in the process.

“Frank?” He looked up at the other man, his sad eyes brimming with tears.

“Yes?” The Alpha’s hand froze where it was tanged in the other’s hair.

“Can you stay here for a little bit?” He asked in a tone that Frank would never be able to say no to. He still hesitated. He was still concerned about crossing that line even though a voice at the back of his head kept saying that line was crossed long ago. “Please?” The Omega begged him, hands clutching Frank’s arms in an attempt to keep him firmly planted on the bed.

Frank was completely torn but the decision was made before he even had time to think about it. He nodded and let himself wrap his arms around the Omega. What kind of Alpha would he be if he just abandoned Gerard in that state? It would be against everything he stood for.

He, unintentionally, fell asleep with the realization that he had created a horrible vicious cycle for himself where he held back from comforting Gerard then proceeded to give in, just to feel terrible for holding back initially. He simply hoped that he could find a way out of that cycle soon.

Come the morning, the sweet signature scent of Gerard was the first conscious sensation in Frank’s body. It was much more intense than what he had grown accustomed to. Through the night, it had made its way in Frank’s system and clung to every piece of his being as if it was a part of him from the start. An involuntary low hum left his lips. It was a sickeningly pleasured and equally as creepy sound, even to his own ears.

His eyes shot open with his mistake. The room was dim, protected by the heavy duty curtains, however, Frank could tell, judging by the soft light seeping from the edges, that it was already morning. Luckily for Frank, the Omega did not have to witness that mistake, seeing as he was still sleeping peacefully. While he was happy to see that the younger had at least gotten some sleep in the end, he still didn’t feel very proud of himself for falling asleep with the Omega.

Their bodies were tangled in such a way that would make Frank’s heart melt if he had let himself think about it. Of course, he strategically avoided such thoughts and busied himself with the task of untangling himself from the Omega without waking him up.

It was easy enough to set his legs free. He moved slow and steady, pulling each leg away from where they were intertwined with Gerard’s. He stole a quick glance back at the younger’s sleeping face. His parted lips and his dark lashes across his pale cheeks… were all things that he did _not_ think about. He just had to take a moment to make sure the other was still asleep. Aside from trying to stay focused, another tricky situation was that his left arm was, somehow, stuck _under_ Gerard. He carefully pulled his right arm loose first, which was secured between the other man’s arm and side. Halfway through pulling his right arm away, the younger moved, involuntarily helping to set it free while simultaneously pushing his body closer to Frank, successfully trapping the older’s left arm even further under his body in the process.

Frank sighed. He found it really cute that Gerard was trying to press himself closer even if it was an unconscious decision.

There was possibly a more graceful way of getting out of his situation, although he wasn’t the sharpest when it came down to grace. He mentally counted down from three and pulled the remaining arm out as fast as its constraints would allow. As a response to his extremely graceful solution, Gerard groaned. Lucky for Frank, he still appeared to be unconscious, though not for too long.

He fled the room as if nothing ever happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh Frankieeee...  
> So our boys are cute as always and I hope you enjoyed that to the fullest in this chapter :)
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know just how big of a dumbass Frank is! (still the greatest dumbass tho!!) hahah


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